Corey Hawkins To Headline The “24” Reboot

After lengthy negotiations, “Straight Outta Compton” and “The Walking Dead” actor Corey Hawkins (who played Dr. Dre) has signed on as the male lead in FOX’s upcoming “24: Legacy” pilot – a reboot of the long-running action franchise.

Hawkins will play Eric Carter, a character who succeeds Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer as the hero on the show. Sutherland is not returning in any capacity at this time, though former director Stephen Hopkins will helm while Manny Coto and Evan Katz are back to pen the pilot.

The story follows Carter, a former Army Ranger with a very rough background, returning to the United States and his home in Virginia with his wife Nicole. As trouble follows him back, he’s compelled to ask CTU for help in stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.

Unlike the previous incarnation, this will be more a two-hander with a female former head of CTU with a long history at the agency playing the female lead. Though there will likely be mentions of former CTU members from the original “24,” there are no plans for any earlier cast members to have ongoing presence on the new series.